Thursday came quickly this week. Three beautiful things:

1. I finally got the results of medical tests I have been waiting for. I’m fine. I knew I would be, but others seemed to lack my certainty and chomped restlessly at the bit as we awaited the follow-up appointment. Everyone else’s stress got a little annoying, but the underlying sentiment — their interest in my well-being — made me feel loved.

2. D.C.’s downtown is the construction capital of the world. As I walk from the metro to my office, I can see three separate cranes all operating at various vantage points on the street. When they align correctly, they create the outline of a building, filling the sky with ghosts of architecture-to-come.

3. Danny and I wandered through Conn’s arboretum last weekend, ending our jaunt on the Arbo green. I hadn’t been to the Arbo since Professor Niering‘s funeral several years back (six already!) and was amazed how much it remained the same and how much I still love it. The pond was clogged with lily pads and swallows raced overhead chasing bugs. Dragonflies and catbirds alike paused in their flights to investigate us thoroughly. The sky above us burned blue and hot. The Latin alma mater, meaning, literally, “kind or nourishing mother,” is used to refer to a school from which you have graduated. It is, I think, relevant here, as I felt replenished and peaceful after leaving the Arbo in a way I don’t get from many other places.